Maputaland is a
natural region
A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate.
From the ecology, ecological point of view, the naturally occurring fl ...
of
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...
. It is located in the northern part of the province of
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
between
Eswatini
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
and the coast. In a wider sense it may also include the southernmost region of
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
. The bird routes and
coral reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.
Co ...
s off the coast are major tourist attractions.
Now the name of this traditional region is being revived for the
Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets, one of the
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...
s of South Africa, as well as for the
Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot
The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot (MPA) is a biodiversity hotspot, a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity, in Southern Africa. It is situated near the south-eastern coast of Africa, occupying an area between the Gr ...
.
Geography
Maputaland is bordered by the
Ubombo Mountains in the west and the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
in the east. It covers an area of about 10,000 km
2, stretching approximately from the town of
Hluhluwe
Hluhluwe ( ; ) is a small town in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is situated between iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park on the banks of the Hluhluwe River. Hluhluwe is situated on the elephant coast, an area known fo ...
and the northern section of
Lake St. Lucia
Lake St Lucia (Lake Saint Lucia) is an estuarine lake system in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is the largest estuarine lake in Southern Africa, covering an area of approximately , and falls within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (a Worl ...
to the border of Mozambique and South Africa, or beyond to
Maputo
Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the Capital city, capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a popul ...
in Mozambique.
Tongaland
The South African section of Maputaland was also previously known as Tongaland after the
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
people who live there. The usually flat region feeds the
Phongolo and
Mkhuze River
Mkuze, also named Mkhuze or uMkhuze is a small town in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is located approximately 350 km from the city of Durban. It is along the N2 road en route to Johannesburg, Eswatini and Mozambique; between the ...
.
On 11 June 1895, Tongaland was annexed by
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
.
'Tongaland', the name of the traditional region of the Tsonga, has now largely fallen into disuse. It is still occasionally found in scientific works though,
Turtle Beaches and Coral Reefs of Tongaland
as well as in the naming of species, such as the Tongaland cannibal snail
The Tongaland cannibal snail, scientific name ''Natalina wesseliana'', is a species of medium-sized predatory air-breathing land snail, carnivorous terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Rhytididae.
This species is endemic to Sou ...
''(Natalina wesseliana)''.
See also
*
*
*
References
Bibliography
* Elephant Coast Visitor Guide, (2007/8).
* Pooley, E. (1993). ''The Complete Field Guide to Trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei''.
External links
Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets
{{Regions of Africa
Regions of Africa
Natural regions of South Africa
Geography of KwaZulu-Natal
Geography of Mozambique